EU
Court of Audit: Rule of law not sufficiently protected
The EU Commission has been accusing Hungary, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, of undermining EU standards and fundamental values for years. photo
© John Thys/AFP Pool/AP/dpa
If the rule of law is violated, the EU Commission can freeze funding from states. A report is now raising doubts about the effectiveness of such measures.
According to the European Court of Auditors, freezing funds is not enough to adequately protect against violations of the to protect the rule of law. Hungary and Poland are currently affected by several budget measures, which are estimated at more than 20 billion euros for Hungary and around 134 billion euros for Poland, according to a report from the Luxembourg authorities. However, the financial consequences of this are not directly noticeable.
The Court of Auditors also warned that freezing EU funds could lead to a government no longer meeting its obligations. For example, it could happen that students can no longer take part in the Erasmus+ exchange program.
According to the Court of Auditors, breaches of the rule of law can have a negative impact on the EU’s financial interests. They could result in authorities failing to carry out financial control and auditing properly and effectively prosecuting fraud and corruption.
30 billion euros frozen for Hungary
Since 2021, the EU Commission has had the right to take budgetary measures if EU countries violate the rule of law. Around 30 billion euros in EU funds for Hungary were frozen due to concerns that too little was being done to combat corruption and protect the rule of law under Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Ten billion of them have now been released again.
The EU Commission has been accusing Hungary of undermining EU standards and fundamental values for years. The authority launched a number of infringement proceedings and sued Hungary several times before the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
The rule of law is when a state acts according to the rules of the constitution and applicable laws. In a constitutional state, citizens must be sure that their rights are protected by the state.